Ranji Trophy: Mumbai take on Karnataka in key battle

Mumbai, who routed minnows Tripura by 10 wickets in their last league game to book their knock-out berth, will lock horns with Karnataka in what promises to be a no-holds-barred Ranji Trophy quarter-final match between two battle-hardened teams commencing on Thursday.

Mumbai drubbed Tripura at the Wankhede Stadium in what was a must-win game for the 41-times Ranji Trophy champions to gather some timely momentum after a sluggish earlier phase.

The Mumbai opening pair of in-form young batsman Prithvi Shaw, who has hit three hundreds and two fifties in his debut season, and Jay Bista, who scored a hundred in the last game, will need to be at their best to negotiate the incisive Karnataka attack and give them a sound start at the VCA stadium here in Jamtha.

In the lower middle order Siddesh Lad, who has two hundreds and three fifties this season to his credit in a season’s impressive tally of 613 runs, has been Mumbai’s crisis man.

But skipper Aditya Tare has not been among the runs and needs to fire big in this game.

Mumbai bowlers, led by medium-pacer Dhawal Kulkarni, would also be tested by a spirited Karnataka batting line-up consisting experienced batsmen like Mayank Agarwal, the top run-getter …read more